Impressions 



lights begin to show out shiny. I puU'd till 

 'most my arms giv' out and then got into where 

 it was easier rowin', but we was tangled up with 

 rubbish in the mouth o' the creek an' there we 

 stuck, movin' slowly out into the ma'sh. Logs, 

 trees, housel-goods, sech a mess, an' all there 

 was to do was to drift. Nance got sort' o' 

 shiverin' but said nothin', but I heard her teeth 

 ohatterin' and I took off my coat and put it over 

 her. 



"She was cryin' like too, but I says nothin'. 

 I seen a chance to get clear, I tho't , an' I pushed 

 and poked with the oars and sort o' got out of 

 the worst of it and a bit nearer the shore. 

 Then I hollered. Folks had seen us. We was 

 still out 0' reach for a time, but gettin' nearer, 

 and soon a feller flung a rope and, puUin' on it, 

 we got near enough to step over logs and get 

 ashore; but it wasn't easy. Nance was that 

 weak she had to be held up like, and once down 

 we went clean up to our necks. It was nip and 

 tuck then, but a man got out to us and we car- 

 ried Nance, a dead weight, to the shore at last. 

 Women folks took her into the house, so they 

 could look after her, and I give out for once. 

 I was nigh about as near gone as Nance was, 



15 



